One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denizovich Analysis Questions
Plot (Choose any 3 to answer)
1. How does the structure of the novel (no chapters) reflect the plot line ? The plot line of this story is just one good day in a forced labor camp. There are not chapters to a day. There are hours, minutes, and seconds, but not chapters. There are no clocks in the camp, at least for zeks, so writing the novel by hours, minutes, or seconds would not make sense. A zek just counts the days until his release. Because this is one good day, the book is one long chapter less novel.
2. Why is the novel entitled One Day in The Life of Ivan Denisovich instead of One Day in the Life of Shuhkov? A full name is Russia is made up of a first name, a name taken from the father (Denis-ovich=son of Denis) and a person's last name. A last name is generally used for administrative purposes like in the school or army. Prison authorites would call Ivan Shukhov and friends would call him Ivan. Using Ivan's full name as the cover shows that he was not defeated by the authorities, he had hope and the human spirit survived. One Day in the Life of Shuhkov would seem broken and submissive. Ivan survives and so his full name is used.
7. What effect does the last paragraph of the novel have on the reader? It is suprising to see such optimism in such a poor place. Ivan did have an extremely lucky day, double rations twice, tobacco to smoke, hard work well done, and gifts from fellow zeks. The last paragraph was a symbol of hope, that not everyday would be bad, and that freedom was not far away.
Characterization (Choose any 6 to Answer)
9. Write the one letter Shukhov sent to his wife.
Dear Wife and Family,
I know this may be hard to hear, but listen. We are a peasant people. Do not waste your money on parcels while I am in this prison. You need the money. I will get along fine. You cannot afford to send the parcels, it will cost you your own lives. I am okay and please try and get along with life without me. This will be my only letter. I am just an average uneducated man. I am 40+ and my teeth are almost all but gone. Forget me please and move on. It will be easier for me and for you. Things here are simple. You work hard and do your part, because you stand together as a group. If one person slacks everyone suffers. It is cold here, power is greatly abused. The higher ups do not work at all! Yet they reap the benefits of their position. Tiurin the squad leader is a good man and I have met many people. Tsezar has been to Moscow! He is educated and I am awed by him. There is a Baptist here who astounds me with his docile nature. The work is fine. The food is enough I suppose and I save my bread rations when I can. Okay. Enough. I need to be honest. I will forget you, my wife and daughter. I will have no nostalgia for home. I will lose the pleasure in counting down until the day of my release. I am just an ordinary man. I do not seek anything better. Try and get along with out me.
Ivan Denisovich
14. Which of the following zeks does Shukhov trust? Why? Alyoshka - Alyoshka does anything that anyone asks of him. He doesn't know "how to do a favor to earn things", he only does things calmly and willingly. He offers the little he has and focuses on spiritual things. Alyoshka is honest and Shukhov trusts him, even if he may be a bit bewildred by his generosity.
They have a late night discuss on the human spirit and spirituality towards the end of the book. Tsezar - Shukhov is awed by Tsezar who receives special privalleges (not etaing in the mess hall), receives wonderful parcels, and is cultured. Shukhov trusts him, because he has done favors for Tsezar before. Shukhov held his place in line and helped him hide his parcel. Shukhov trusts Tsezar to return the favor with rations of his goods, which always did.Tiurin - Although Tiurin is a squad leader, he is still a zek. Shukhov trusts his squad leader, who got him a good place to work. Tiurin trusts Shukhov to lay the bricks for the wall and direct the work. He works along side Shukhov. Tiurin does not reveal that Shukhov used the felt when an engineer threatens it, and Tiurin threatens to attack the engineer! Tiurin trusts Shukhov, so Shukhov trusts Tiurin. Gopchik - He is young and eager and does anything he is asked. Shukhov can see him becoming successful some day.
15. Why does Shukhov take such pride in his work? What are the rewards of this ethic and who shares it with him? Shukhov takes pride in his hard work (bricklaying) because it represents his personal self worth. He does a good job and is valuable to the whole camp. Hard work makes the day go by and warms a zek up against the cold. Ivan is rewarded for his effort through a large bread ration. This also leads to Shukhov receiving extra bread and a double helping at supper. Those around him benefit from his ethic, working harder themselves, and earning more bread.
16. What qualities make Tiurin such a good leader? Give specific examples of his leadership skills. Tiurin is a good leader because hetakes care of the squad while still getting work done. In the beginning of the book he appears to be a fierce character to be feared. But later it is revealed that he is respected by the squad because he treats them right. Tiurin gets the squad moved to a place where they could warm up (building the 2nd story walls) . He appeals to the people, which is a good skill. Then, when the squad is threatened by an engineer, he sticks up for the group and threatens the authority! He will not let Shukhov fall for using the felt and squeal on him. Tiurin drives the group to work hard and they are happy to work late for him.
18. Which of the zeks would you choose to be in your squad? Why? I would want to have Alyoshka in my squad simply because he would be willing to help out no matter what. His cheerful spirituality may be at times annoying, butcould eventually grow on me. I would then appreciate this and could adapt a mind set such as his, enjoying prison life. That would certainly make my term (25 years was the new standard) go by much faster.
Theme (Choose any 5 to answer)
20. Make a visual representation of all the things that try to keep Shuhkov down (people, rules, conditions, personal expectation...) Show how he is able to keep his independent spirit. VISUAL REPRESENTATION
His sense of pride in his work keeps his independent spirit intact, which is symbolized by the brick wall in the back.
23. Which of the prisoners would have developed friendships outside of the camp? What would have been the basis for these friendships? I believe that Tiurin and Shukhov would have been good friends outside of the camp as well as Pavlo. Pavlo and Tiurin work together always and they worked with Shukhov on the wall. They made a good team, each a different type of person with a different past. Tiurin came from a nobler background, Shukhov a peasant. They have trust for each other and all work hard. They know how to survive camp life and would have made it as friends outside of the camp based on their ethics of hard work and the will to survive.
28. Under what circumstances do the ethnic differences in the novel seem to disappear? Ethnic differences disappear at work. Everyone lines up and does their part, no matter who they are. You all work or you all fail.
29. The communist government in the former Soviet Union came to power under the banner of equality. What does Shukhov's imprisonment (and the entire gulag system) say about the fate of the movement? There is not equality when their is imprisonment based on false accusations and half truths. Shukhov is not treated equally even within his own camp. There are others above him who do less work and receive more, but are worse as a person. He receives more food then other zeks in some cases as well.Shukhov has a 10 year term and the standard was changed to 25 years. The lack of equality mirrors the failure of the movement. It cannot and would not work.
30. Identify and discuss the prisoners who were corrupted by power given to them by the institution. Tsezar is corrupted by his material things which drive him away from a spiritual basis.
The engineer who visits the 104ths work site is corrupted by the power given to him. He thinks he can trample the 104th but Tiurin proves him wrong.
Guards and sentries abuse their power through ruthless recounts.
The Chef and The Limp - They eat most of the food and give much away through "favors" as a result of laziness. The zeks pay for this.
Plot (Choose any 3 to answer)
1. How does the structure of the novel (no chapters) reflect the plot line ?
The plot line of this story is just one good day in a forced labor camp. There are not chapters to a day. There are hours, minutes, and seconds, but not chapters. There are no clocks in the camp, at least for zeks, so writing the novel by hours, minutes, or seconds would not make sense. A zek just counts the days until his release. Because this is one good day, the book is one long chapter less novel.
2. Why is the novel entitled One Day in The Life of Ivan Denisovich instead of One Day in the Life of Shuhkov?
A full name is Russia is made up of a first name, a name taken from the father (Denis-ovich=son of Denis) and a person's last name. A last name is generally used for administrative purposes like in the school or army. Prison authorites would call Ivan Shukhov and friends would call him Ivan. Using Ivan's full name as the cover shows that he was not defeated by the authorities, he had hope and the human spirit survived. One Day in the Life of Shuhkov would seem broken and submissive. Ivan survives and so his full name is used.
7. What effect does the last paragraph of the novel have on the reader?
It is suprising to see such optimism in such a poor place. Ivan did have an extremely lucky day, double rations twice, tobacco to smoke, hard work well done, and gifts from fellow zeks. The last paragraph was a symbol of hope, that not everyday would be bad, and that freedom was not far away.
Characterization (Choose any 6 to Answer)
9. Write the one letter Shukhov sent to his wife.
Dear Wife and Family,
I know this may be hard to hear, but listen. We are a peasant people. Do not waste your money on parcels while I am in this prison. You need the money. I will get along fine. You cannot afford to send the parcels, it will cost you your own lives. I am okay and please try and get along with life without me. This will be my only letter. I am just an average uneducated man. I am 40+ and my teeth are almost all but gone. Forget me please and move on. It will be easier for me and for you. Things here are simple. You work hard and do your part, because you stand together as a group. If one person slacks everyone suffers. It is cold here, power is greatly abused. The higher ups do not work at all! Yet they reap the benefits of their position. Tiurin the squad leader is a good man and I have met many people. Tsezar has been to Moscow! He is educated and I am awed by him. There is a Baptist here who astounds me with his docile nature. The work is fine. The food is enough I suppose and I save my bread rations when I can. Okay. Enough. I need to be honest. I will forget you, my wife and daughter. I will have no nostalgia for home. I will lose the pleasure in counting down until the day of my release. I am just an ordinary man. I do not seek anything better. Try and get along with out me.
Ivan Denisovich
14. Which of the following zeks does Shukhov trust? Why?
Alyoshka - Alyoshka does anything that anyone asks of him. He doesn't know "how to do a favor to earn things", he only does things calmly and willingly. He offers the little he has and focuses on spiritual things. Alyoshka is honest and Shukhov trusts him, even if he may be a bit bewildred by his generosity.
They have a late night discuss on the human spirit and spirituality towards the end of the book.
Tsezar - Shukhov is awed by Tsezar who receives special privalleges (not etaing in the mess hall), receives wonderful parcels, and is cultured. Shukhov trusts him, because he has done favors for Tsezar before. Shukhov held his place in line and helped him hide his parcel. Shukhov trusts Tsezar to return the favor with rations of his goods, which always did. Tiurin - Although Tiurin is a squad leader, he is still a zek. Shukhov trusts his squad leader, who got him a good place to work. Tiurin trusts Shukhov to lay the bricks for the wall and direct the work. He works along side Shukhov. Tiurin does not reveal that Shukhov used the felt when an engineer threatens it, and Tiurin threatens to attack the engineer! Tiurin trusts Shukhov, so Shukhov trusts Tiurin.
Gopchik - He is young and eager and does anything he is asked. Shukhov can see him becoming successful some day.
15. Why does Shukhov take such pride in his work? What are the rewards of this ethic and who shares it with him?
Shukhov takes pride in his hard work (bricklaying) because it represents his personal self worth. He does a good job and is valuable to the whole camp. Hard work makes the day go by and warms a zek up against the cold. Ivan is rewarded for his effort through a large bread ration. This also leads to Shukhov receiving extra bread and a double helping at supper. Those around him benefit from his ethic, working harder themselves, and earning more bread.
16. What qualities make Tiurin such a good leader? Give specific examples of his leadership skills.
Tiurin is a good leader because he takes care of the squad while still getting work done. In the beginning of the book he appears to be a fierce character to be feared. But later it is revealed that he is respected by the squad because he treats them right. Tiurin gets the squad moved to a place where they could warm up (building the 2nd story walls) . He appeals to the people, which is a good skill. Then, when the squad is threatened by an engineer, he sticks up for the group and threatens the authority! He will not let Shukhov fall for using the felt and squeal on him. Tiurin drives the group to work hard and they are happy to work late for him.
18. Which of the zeks would you choose to be in your squad? Why?
I would want to have Alyoshka in my squad simply because he would be willing to help out no matter what. His cheerful spirituality may be at times annoying, but could eventually grow on me. I would then appreciate this and could adapt a mind set such as his, enjoying prison life. That would certainly make my term (25 years was the new standard) go by much faster.
Theme (Choose any 5 to answer)
20. Make a visual representation of all the things that try to keep Shuhkov down (people, rules, conditions, personal expectation...) Show how he is able to keep his independent spirit. VISUAL REPRESENTATION
His sense of pride in his work keeps his independent spirit intact, which is symbolized by the brick wall in the back.
23. Which of the prisoners would have developed friendships outside of the camp? What would have been the basis for these friendships?
I believe that Tiurin and Shukhov would have been good friends outside of the camp as well as Pavlo. Pavlo and Tiurin work together always and they worked with Shukhov on the wall. They made a good team, each a different type of person with a different past. Tiurin came from a nobler background, Shukhov a peasant. They have trust for each other and all work hard. They know how to survive camp life and would have made it as friends outside of the camp based on their ethics of hard work and the will to survive.
28. Under what circumstances do the ethnic differences in the novel seem to disappear?
Ethnic differences disappear at work. Everyone lines up and does their part, no matter who they are. You all work or you all fail.
29. The communist government in the former Soviet Union came to power under the banner of equality. What does Shukhov's imprisonment (and the entire gulag system) say about the fate of the movement?
There is not equality when their is imprisonment based on false accusations and half truths. Shukhov is not treated equally even within his own camp. There are others above him who do less work and receive more, but are worse as a person. He receives more food then other zeks in some cases as well. Shukhov has a 10 year term and the standard was changed to 25 years. The lack of equality mirrors the failure of the movement. It cannot and would not work.
30. Identify and discuss the prisoners who were corrupted by power given to them by the institution.
Tsezar is corrupted by his material things which drive him away from a spiritual basis.
The engineer who visits the 104ths work site is corrupted by the power given to him. He thinks he can trample the 104th but Tiurin proves him wrong.
Guards and sentries abuse their power through ruthless recounts.
The Chef and The Limp - They eat most of the food and give much away through "favors" as a result of laziness. The zeks pay for this.